


The Remaining

by Hanajimasama



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Heartache, M/M, Sadness, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 08:26:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16719846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanajimasama/pseuds/Hanajimasama
Summary: After the battle of Rose Creek, Vasquez is grieving his short lived love.Remaining behind Vasquez struggles with the painuntil Faraday appears to him in a dream.





	The Remaining

The Remaining.

“Here we lay to rest-” 

After the climax of the battle for Rose Creek, Vasquez drifted through the days. He hadn’t known Joshua Faraday particularly long but they had shared something special, something Vasquez didn’t think he was ever going to experience again: Love.  
It was Faraday’s goofy smile that had captured Vasquez’s heart not that he’d admit that to him.  
In that short space of time they both realised what they had missed and longed for. It had started off as playful insults and friendly competition. Vasquez had found someone that understood what it was like to be on the move, to have noone. Faraday had poured himself into flings and whores but never opened up to anyone, though he had confessed to Vasquez that he hoped to stop wandering one day but that wouldn’t happen. That was the moment their hearts beat together, they understood a little more and Vasquez reached out to accept Faraday’s lonely existence. “We’re not alone anymore guero.” The warmth and solace they’d found in eachothers arms that night before the battle would forever linger in his broken heart.

There was no body to bury but a funeral was held anyway.

Vasquez had lost how many days it had been since Joshua’s passing. He woke up after very little sleep and watched the sunrise, he then helped around Rose Creek putting his carpenting skills to good use, he came back to the boarding house, ate and sat on his bed looking at his foolish guero’s hat that they’d found after the carnage. 

“Idiot.” he grumbled rubbing the leather of the hat between his thumbs “I thought you weren’t the hero type.” Only when he was alone did Vasquez allow his tears to fall. He felt so foolish. He remembers his padre always said ‘Men don’t cry’ It hurt so much though. Sleep came eventually when his eyes could stay open no longer. 

*

Vasquez opened his eyes: he was kneeling before the little wooden cross that marked Faraday’s resting place - or it used to, the name that had been carefully written on the wood was gone... Snow was falling. How strange, this wasn’t the place for snow. It was so very quiet that it was almost deafening. 

Slowly he stood up and looked around. At the bottom of the hill Rose Creek basked in a warm glow, not a speck of snow in sight. A voice whispered behind him and he whirled round, hand poised at the gun resting at his hip, but there was no one there. Though there was a strange building at the bottom of the hill, and unlike Rose Creek on the opposite side it was surrounded in thick snow. 

Curiosity got the better of him and carefully he made his way down the hill, his boots soundless against the snow. He didn’t feel cold. He felt nothing. 

As he approached the house he could make out a figure standing by the door. Vasquez squinted through the snow and carried on down the steep hill, he slipped on the descent and rolled the rest of the way landing in a heap at the bottom. Cursing Vasquez pushed himself onto his knees to be greeted by an outstretched hand, a hand he recognised. His body trembled: it couldn’t be. Vasquez reached out with shaking hands and tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Guero..” 

Vasquez bolted up in his bed, his fingertips still holding a lingering warmth and the scent of cheap whiskey and cigars. Faraday’s hat sat on top of the bed where Vasquez had left it. With trembling hands he carefully picked it up, holding it close to inhale the remaining scent of his lost love and let his shameful tears fall. 

“Morning son..you alright? you look a little pale” Jack greeted him brightly as he walked into the dinning area slothenly. Vasquez nodded in response slumping down at the table. It was still early there was hardly anyone else about. “Vasquez?” the bear of a man pulled up a chair and rested a hand on his shoulder “do you need to talk?”  
Vasquez shook his head “I’m fine.” he replied. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t fine. He had loved and lost it in less than a week and yet it felt like someone had crushed his very soul. Jack’s hand patted his shoulder  
“You and Joshua were close.” Jack stated which made Vasquez frown,  
_what did he understand of their relationship?_

“Now I’m no fool young man” Jack said with an attempted stern tone “I saw the way you two looked at eachother. I looked at my wife the same way.” he added with a smile that heightened the sadness in Jack’s eyes. “I lost my wife and my boys many years ago now. I know what it's like to lose someone dear to you.” 

“I didn’t know him that long.” Vasquez interjected bitterly,

“That doesn’t matter. Love blossoms when it chooses.” Jack offered him a warm smile “It’s hard and painful to accept our losses but remember the good times no matter how few they might have been. You’re strong son, you’ll be alright.” Vasquez nodded and mumbled a thanks. “Good. Now stand up.” Vasquez wearily rose to his feet as Jack pulled him into a crushing embrace “You ain’t alone son, we’re here if you need us.” his words were as comforting as his fatherly embrace but he didn’t feel strong at all, he felt so weak and pathetic for grieving over someone he barely knew.  
“Jack...you’re crushing me.” 

“oh lord, sorry! Now then we have another long day of rebuilding.” Jack released Vasquez and patted him one last time on the shoulder before they headed out to start another day.

 

Every time Vasquez succumbed to sleep he lived that strange dream again and again, waking just as he reached to hold.  
Every morning Jack greeted him brightly and asked how he was. Vasquez could only nod it was still difficult for him to talk about.  
*

A week passed and this time the dream changed. As Vasquez was running and sliding down the hill eager to see Faraday again, instead of waiting by the door Faraday had his back to him, heading into the building, the door slowly closing behind him. 

“Guero!” Wait!” Vasquez slid right into the door, fumbling in a panic for the handle. He stumbled into the house: the corridor was dimly light and seemed to be void of any colour except for Faraday who seemed to emanate a soft warm glow. He was already so far down the corridor. “Joshua, don’t go.” 

Faraday stopped and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes shrouded by the beat-up leather hat he always wore, and he held out his hand. Vasquez’s eyes lit up and he ran from the entrance, but the corridor seemed to work to keep him away, drawing out longer and longer to take Faraday further into the house. Vasquez swore and yelled as he ran against what felt like hurricane winds but to no avail: Faraday was always out of reach. He lost balance and fell against the hard wooden floor. 

… and woke to find himself on the floor of his room, morning sun gleaming through his window. His mind was being so cruel to him, showing him glimpses of the cowboy that had ridden into his life so suddenly. Had he not suffered enough heartache for one lifetime? “Why’d you leave me behind?” he mumbled as he stared up at the ceiling “weren’t we going to find a place somewhere? Just us…” Dreams of a bright future shattered by one capitalist pig. No...it wasn’t Bogue’s fault. They signed up for this fight and if it hadn’t been for Bogue would he have ever met the charming ray of sunshine that was his foolish Joshua?

It was another long day of rebuilding. As the day’s work had come to an end Vasquez finally had a moment to breathe. The sun was setting, engulfing the town in a warm red glow as he dragged his feet back towards the boarding house, eager to rest his body. From the corner of his eye a lone figure caught his attention and he stopped walking to focus on the shadowed figure.who turned and walked away, sending Vasquez into a flurry. It couldn’t be -- but he knew that tall broad stature. “Guero?” 

His heart burned as he gave chase, stopping at the large barn on the outskirts of the town. The door was ajar. Cautiously Vasquez pulled it open just enough for him to fit though. “Guero!” he called into the darkness, but there was no answer.

He stopped in the centre of the barn and a wave of sadness washed over him. Cursing himself and the heavens, he turned and punched a wooden support beam before collapsing to his knees, succumbing to his grief. “Muerto. He’s dead. I need to accept that.” he sobbed in his hands, “but I don’t want to.” 

“Vasquez?”

Vasquez jumped and whirled round grabbing a nearby pitch fork. His nerves calmed a little when he focused on Emma stood by the door. She looked a little perturbed by the brandished weapon but advanced into the barn. 

“Are you alright?” she asked calmly, their initial meeting hadn’t been the best after he had lassoed her feet from under her so it had taken a while for Emma to even talk to him after that. 

“Fine.” he growled chucking the pitch fork onto a pile of hay. 

“It’s about Faraday...isn’t it?” Vasquez turned away from her glancing around the barn in hopes he hadn’t dreamt it. Vasquez felt his temper and emotions boiling. He just wanted to be alone.

“Leave me alone! What do you know about how I’m feeling?!” He snapped whirling round only to be slapped harshly across, Emma wore quite the frown but her eyes held a deep sadness.

“Because I lost my husband just over a week ago.” her words hit Vasquez like a ton of bricks, in his grief he had forgotten why Emma had ventured out in the first place. 

“lo siento” he mumbled, there were so many others that had lost someone close, it wasn’t just him. 

“It’s alright.” she looked up at him with a weak smile “That’s what everyone keeps saying. It’ll be alright but...it still hurts. I miss him.” She sat down on a pile of hay and pulled her knees into her chest “Time will heal the wound but it’ll never be fully healed.” Vasquez nodded and sat down where he stood. 

“Ain’t the same without him.” Vasquez admitted pulling a hip flask from his leather waistcoat taking a long swig of the bitter liquid before passing it over to Emma who gingerly accepted it “how are you...strong?” he asked slowly trying to find the correct words. Emma shuddered as she took sip from the flask and handed it back,

“Is that what you think?” she asked with a little smile “I’m not strong but I have so much to do. Bogue is dead and that should make me feel better but at the same time it didn’t bring Matthew back.” Emma paused a moment and looked up at him “I still have things I want to protect here, so I’ll be strong for them and myself. What about you?”

Vasquez shrugged “Sam asked if I would go with him as a bounty hunter but I’d have to leave him behind.”

“That’s not true. He’ll live in your memories.” 

“But not with me.” he almost snapped again. “He was...he was...something else.” Vasquez smiled remembering Joshua’s constant whining and joking. 

“You can stay here as long as you like” Emma offered rising to her feet “You’re welcome to stay if you’d like. Maybe you’ll find some peace eventually. Goodnight Vasquez.” she said leaving him to his silence. 

That night sleep wouldn’t come to Vasquez: everytime he closed his eyes he was woken abruptly. He couldn’t see Joshua even if it was a dream, and he needed that solace. He sat on the edge of his bed, a bottle of tequila in his hand and tears streaming down his face. Rising from his bed, Vasquez pulled on his boots and grabbed both hats from the nightstand. He headed out into the cold darkness and out to the hill where Joshua was buried overlooking the small town.  
“Evenin’ mi amor.” Vasquez knelt down in front of the little wooden cross and placed his hat atop the grave “I was..I was thinking about leaving…” he fumbled with his love’s hat “A live as a bounty hunter..a little different to what we had in mind but..it’s something…” Vasquez found himself once again at the behest of his emotions as tears threatened to fall. “Dios mio. Who am I kidding?” Vasquez laughed as the tears began “I can’t. I can’t do it alone anymore.” burying his tear stained face in his calloused hands “not without you.” his shoulders shuddered under the weight of his sorrow. How could he possibly live without the light of his life “Will you forgive me?” he asked, touching the coin around his neck. “Wait for me, Josh.” 

-  
The sun rose up Jack found a person missing at breakfast “Teddy, son, can you go wake Vasquez? he’ll miss out on breakfast.”  
“Yes sir.” Teddy moved from his chair and went to go find the missing party, he came back moments later “He ain’t there…” Jack scratched his beard thoughtfully,  
“He’s probably visiting Joshua.” Jack nodded at his own words and excused himself from the table. He knew Vasquez visited Joshua daily and as he approached the hill he could make out a figure kneeling in front. “There he is.” though as Jack grew closer his steady walk became a frantic run, something was wrong he could feel it. Vasquez was knelt before the grave. He didn’t move or even register Jack’s presence.  
“Vasquez? Son?” Jack peered around and felt his heart sink. A razor in his hand and blood soaked through the top of his shirt from a deep wound on his neck. “Oh good Lord.” Jack saw two hats set next to each other on the grave. “You chose to go to Joshua?” Jack choked back his tears as he held Vasquez in his arms. “I am sorry we couldn’t help you. The Lord will watch over you both now. You tell Joshua we miss him too. Goodnight, Vasquez.”

 

*  
“Hey, come on! What are ya doing? We got a lot of work to do.” Vasquez opened his eyes and bolted upright: Joshua stood before him, hands on his hips. “I thought being lazy was my thing?” 

Vasquez looked around him uncertainly. The sun was setting over the distant mountains, engulfing the vast area of grassland in a warm comforting glow. “Up you get.” Joshua extended a hand and grinned at him. Vasquez reached out gingerly and took his hand and was almost yanked up by Faraday who laid his arm around Vasquez’s shoulder lovingly. 

Vasquez saw a little farm house in the middle of the grass, surrounded by fields with cows and chickens. “What is..this place?” 

Joshua laughed at him, nuzzling at Vasquez’s beard “Did ya hit ya head? Our farm. Remember? Rose Creek is over now. We got somewhere to call home. Our home.” 

Vasquez felt his heart soar to dance with the eagles, and he threw his arms around him and kissed him passionately in the warm evening glow. 

Joshua laughed. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Te extrañé. I missed you.”

“Missed me?” Faraday chuckled, resting his head on Vasquez’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around his waist “I never left, you idiot.”


End file.
